Tell Me No Lies
by VivienneGray
Summary: When Merlin and Arthur get lost in the woods, secrets come out and death is close behind them.
1. Chapter 1

Perching himself on a cold, moss-covered rock, Arthur set his sword down on the ground and sighed. Outside, the rain only seemed to be getting worse, and a cold draft now blew through the dark cave, causing Arthur to shiver involuntary. A day-long hunting trip had somehow turned into a three-day trek in the woods. One wrong turn lead to another, and another, and eventually Arthur had lost his bearings all together. Of course, Merlin annoyingly chirruping into his ear every five seconds was not helping him to focus! It was clear that the two were to spend another night in the soundless forest, and Arthur had settled on the first cave he could find.

Hugging his knees to his chest, Arthur glared at his servant's back, wondering how on earth he had ended up in this predicament.

"How do you expect to make a fire with this wood, Merlin? It's soaked through!' Arthur exclaimed, after a few minutes of watching Merlin struggling to produce fire.

"It was worth trying, sire.' Merlin exclaimed, dropping the logs to the ground and turning to look at the Prince. A sullen face greeted him, and Merlin smiled.

"Come on now, it could be worse,' he tried, joining Arthur on the ground. 'I mean, you've still got me.'

'Is that supposed to make me feel better?' Arthur replied, sounding more sullen than he had before.

'Oh, I didn't expect it to. But lets face it, sire, you'd never make it one night out here alone.' Merlin abruptly stopped smiling as Arthur turned to face him.

'What do you mean by that?' he asked, in a warning voice.

'N-nothing, I just meant-' Merlin paused, searching for an explanation that wouldn't get him thrown out in the rain for the night. 'Well, you know…'

'No, no I don't know.' A crash of thunder rang through the cave, closely followed by a bright flash of lightning. In the few seconds that the cave was lit, Merlin could have sworn he saw his prince flinch.

Merlin stood and headed for the opening of the cave. It had been raining for some time now, and he was almost certain that it had to stop sometime soon. Looking back over his shoulder, Merlin smirked. Arthur had fallen asleep some time ago, his chin rested in his hands. Of course, he had complained for god knows how long about the temperature of the cave, and the fact that Merlin was stupid enough not to be able to light a small fire. Another crash of thunder caused Merlin to retreat back into the cave a few steps. Reaching out his hands, he felt around for the wall and promptly sat down, leaning his head back and trying to get comfortable. As far as he could tell, it would be a long night. Caves were not the most comfortable of places to sleep, and since they had only intended to be gone for a day, they had packed no blankets to sleep under, and, more importantly, no food to eat.

Closing his eyes, Merlin attempted to fall asleep, and he would have succeeded if it hadn't been for the rather unnecessary scream that came from the mouth of Prince Arthur. Flinging his eyes open, Merlin jumped to his feet and rushed over to him, expecting the worst.

'What? What is it?' he asked, slightly panicked, as he took in the wide eyed look on his friend's face. Following Arthur's gaze, Merlin could hardly hold back the smile that appeared on his lips. On the cave wall, where Arthur's head he been only a few moments before, was a spider. Raising his eyebrows, Merlin turned to Arthur.

'Really?' he asked, barely containing the chuckle that threatened to escape his lips. Arthur scowled at his servant, and pointed to the spider.

'That _thing _was in my _hair!' _he exclaimed, unamused. Merlin stood looking at Arthur for a few moments before the man spoke again.

'Don't just _stand _there, get _rid _of it!'

Jumping into action, Merlin rushed over to the fairly small spider and, picking it up in his hands, he rushed towards the cave entrance and threw it out into the night. Returning to Arthur, Merlin didn't even try to hide his grin.

'A spider, Arthur?' Once again, Arthur scowled at his servant.

'Don't.' he exclaimed, raising a finger in annoyance.


	2. Chapter 2

Opening his eyes, Arthur sighed. So it isn't just a dream then, he thinks, just as he's thought every morning since he left Camelot. Lifting his hand to his head, he groaned and attempted to sit up. His legs would not move, and Arthur looked down, rolling his eyes when he saw the cause of the numbness in his legs. '

'_Merlin!_' he exclaimed, moving his legs as much as he could in an attempt to wake the sleeping buffoon.

'Merlin, get off!' Merlin simply grunted in response, rolling onto his back and yawning. Getting to his feet, Arthur stretched his legs, wincing as he heard his knees crack. Glaring down at his servant, Arthur shook his head.

'What?' Merlin asked, opening one of eye and crinkling his nose. The cave was silent at last, the rain had almost stopped and, as Arthur turned and headed outside, Merlin couldn't help but notice a difference in the man.

Walking out into the fresh morning air, Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the scents of a brand new morning.

The two men made their way through the forest once again, trying to keep as far north as they possibly could.

'Do you actually know where we're going?' Merlin asked, cautiously.

'Of course I do,' Arthur replied, stepping onto a fallen log and peering around. Pointing to a small hill, Arthur looked at Merlin. 'That way.'

'Oh. That way.' Merlin replied, breathlessly, stepping over the log and following close behind Arthur.

Arthur really had no idea where he was headed. Sure he could pretend to know where he was, but truthfully he was probably just getting himself even more lost, and that wasn't a very reassuring thought, considering they were almost definatley deep in enemy territory by now. One wrong move, and Arthur could get himself killed, if not by running into an enemy, then by stepping onto a trap and losing a limb. And he really didn't like the thought of that happening.

'Are you _sure _you're not lost, sire?'

'I'm not lost! We'll be back in Camelot by sundown, I know we will.' Arthue tried to reassure himself. It didn't work.

'We've been wandering these woods for days,' Merlin said, gripping Arthur by the arm and turning him around. 'Face it, Arthur. We're lost.' For a moment, Arthur was silent, looking at Merlin's lips and trying to work out if the servant was right or not. But, of course he was. He was always right, even if Arthur failed to acknowledge it.

'Fine,' he said, shaking off Merlin's grip. 'Fine, we're lost.' Arthur turned and swiftly started walking again.

'_Arthur!' _Merlin called after him, _'_Wait, where are you going?'

'I am going home.' A strange feeling crept through Arthur's stomach, and all of a sudden he felt his chest tightening. Unsure of what to do, Arthur turned in a circle, then stopped and looked at Merlin.

'How do I get there?' he asked, frowning.

'Uh, well, lets see,' Merlin said, walking towards the prince. 'Say we're facing North right now, and Camelot is off to… to the East?... No, no. If Camelot is to the South, the-'

'_Shut up_, Merlin!' Arthur exclaimed, turning away. Looking into a small cluster of trees, Arthur froze, certain that he had seen a shadow. Walking up behind him, Merlin followed his gaze. Upon seeing nothing, he looked at Arthur.

'What is it?' he asked, curious.

'Shhhh.; Arthur replied, raising a hand. Taking a step forward, Arthur reached for his sword, and found himself grasping at thin air. Groaning, he thought of his sword laying in the cold, dark cave, and suddeny his composure crumbled.

'Why is it always us?' he asked, turning to face Merlin. Holding his breath, Arthur opened his mouth to speak.

The blow came out of nowhere. Merlin stood, watching Arthur closely and trying to figure out what the man was thinking, which was a long shot as nobody seemed to to know, not even Arthur himself sometimes. They stood in silence for a while, not moving, not speaking, barely even breathing. Then Arthur turned around, and Merlin noted a mix of panic and surprise spread across his face. Before he could turn around, Merlin felt a searing pain shoot through his skull. He fell to the ground, a hand grasping tightly at his hair, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Blinking manically for a few moments, Merlin tried to make sense of what was happening around him. He closed his eyes tightly. All around him he could hear yelling, fighting. A sword clashing with stone, the sounds of men falling to the ground. Then the sound of metal clashing with metal. Then nothing. Opening his eyes, bright light blinded him, and he rolled over onto his stomach, burying his face in the leaves.

'Arthur…' he croaked, getting to his knees. A wave of nausea washed over him, and he fell forward, throwing out his arms and crashing to the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

Damp, dirty, blue-grey bricks held the cold inside the room as if it were collecting it. A single dancing light, projected from the last dying candle, flickered across the walls, moving to an unseen rhythm. The lone window, high on the outside wall, allowed only one tiny gleam of moonlight in to pronounce the time of day. Scratches in the stone and rusty chains hung with eerie decoration as a reminder of the past. Thick white spider webs flowed across the room, shimmering in the candle light, and the lone live victim struggled against the intricate design that swung gently in the wind. Wrapped tightly in silk threads its will faded as the owner of the beautiful, but deadly, creation approached carrying hunger in its many eyes. Rats squealed and padded across the hard floor, their nails scraping the ground as they scattered away from the crystal webs as if in fear they would be caught too.

A tray of bread and water sat untouched beside the thick rotted wood door. A rough, worn leather mat, still warm, with a balled-up blanket thrown carelessly on top, as if forgotten, sprawled out beneath the window. Beside the make-shift bed a broken chunk of brick left a chalky residue, that formed drawings of a small stick-figure wrapped in a blanket, surrounded by tiny stick forms with wings, in the thick dust on the floor. The only indication of life, bare footprints, those small enough to be from a child, imprinted in the dirt next to the mat, glowed with tiny sparkles that lead to the window and disappeared into the night.

And all alone, in the corner of the room, shivering and trembling uncontrollably in the cold of the night, sat Merlin. His bare feet slowly turning blue from the chilly night air that danced in through the window. His left wrist was bound to the wall by a short rusted chain that held a shackle on each end; one attached to a heavy metal bar that protruded from the wall, and the other clamped tightly around Merlin's wrist.

Merlin slowly blinked open his eyes. Pain rattled through his limbs, as though a million rusty nails were being hammered into him. Attempting to sit up, Merlin found that he could not feel his legs. Lifting his arms up as far as he could, Merlin tried to grip onto the bar that stuck out of the wall just above his head. He barely managed to curl his fingertip around the cool metal, but all the strength had gone from his arms, and he soon found himself slipping and crashing back to the ground with a thud. Turning his head to the side and burying his face in the crook of his elbow, Merlin let out a sob.

Merlin stayed that way for a good few hours, drifting in an out of consciousness, trying to ignore the pounding in his head that was threatening to burst through his skull and into the room. He thought about how he had ended up in this room, chained to a wall with no recollection of how he got there. The last thing he remembered was wandering through the forest, following Arth-

Merlin flung his eyes open and sat himself up. He had been with Arthur, and that meant that Arthur was most likely here with him. But Merlin looked once more around the room and saw no sign of another person, no sign that anybody had even set food in the room but himself. Lying back down, Merlin rolled onto his back and glared at the ceiling, covered with dust and cobwebs. Arthur was here, somewhere, and Merlin was positive of it. Unless he'd been killed, of course. With that thought, Merlin cried once again.

If Arthur was hurt, Merlin _had _to get out of this room and find him, make sure he was okay. Arthur could fight better than any other knight Merlin had ever seen, and he wasn't one to give up easily, but if he was in the next room, hurt, or worse, then Merlin would never be able to forgive himself if he didn't at least try.

Merlin took a deep breath and sat himself up once again. Hearing a key turn in the lock, Merlin slumped back against the wall and as far away from the door as he could. The door creaked open, slowly, revealing a tall, heavy-built man in a black cloak. A scarf covered his face, showing nothing but his eyes. The man took a few steps into the room and towards Merlin, who continued to shuffle backwards even though there was no more room to do so. For a few moments, the room was filled with an uncomfortable silence, as the man rolled his eyes over Merlin. He could not see his face, but Merlin was sure that the man was grinning. He could see it in his eyes.

'Emrys.' The man said, in a low, intimidating voice. 'Awake at last.'

Merlin hugged his knees to his chest. His throat had suddenly gone dry, and he could feel his heart beating faster than it ever had before. But that was nothing compared to the pain that refused to subside.

'Wh-who are you?' Merlin croaked, swallowing as much as he could to try and get rid of the dryness in his throat. His palms had gone sweaty, and he hurriedly wiped them on his shirt before pulling his knees up to his chest. Though it wasn't possible, the room seemed to have gone even quieter.

'It does not matter who I am.' He said, taking another step towards Merlin.

'What do you mean? Why-'

'You do not need to know that right now, Emrys. How are you feeling?'

Merlin looked up at the man, brows furrowed. He took in the odd way the man was stood, leaning to one side. Blinking, he looked down at his feet, nervously, and rested his chin on his knees.

'Very well, don't talk.' The man said, with a chuckle. 'I assume you'd like to know how your friend is?'

At the mention of Arthur, Merlin quickly lifted his head and winced as pain shot through him.

'Ah.' Lifting his free hand, he gently rubbed the back of his neck. 'Arthur's here?' he questioned. Another chuckle escaped the man's lips.

'Oh, yes. Very much so. Though he's rather unhappy about being chained to a wall.' The man turned around and headed for the door.

'_Wait!_ Wait, is he hurt?'

As the man reached the door, he looked over his shoulder and into Merlin's eyes.

'You'll soon see, Emrys. Soon.'

With that, the door closed once again, and Merlin was left alone in the silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur opened his eyes and groaned, the light almost blinding him. Lifting his head, he looked at to his wrist arm, still chained to the wall, still aching. Whoever it was that chained him up had obviously done it too tight, and Arthur noticed that his hand was slowly changing into a lovely shade of purple.

Coughing, Arthur tried to sit himself up, but the stab wound in his stomach refused to let him, sending pin pricks of agony through his every muscle. Taking a deep breath, Arthur glanced towards the keys that hung next to the door. Someone had obviously left them there for a reason, though as far as Arthur could tell that reason was to torture him even more. Seeing them there, so close, was agonising, and he knew that all he had to do was get to his knees, and he'd be able to reach them. But of course, he couldn't. Not yet, anyway. Arthur didn't know how long he would be chained up in this room, and as long as he was, he could never find out what happened to his servant, which was even more agony.

Turning around to see those men sneaking up on Merlin, Arthur had panicked. Without his sword, he was sure to be killed, but as soon as he saw Merlin hit the ground he was determined not to go down without a fight. He threw punches and rocks at their unprotected heads until, finally, one of the men had fallen, and Arthur was quick to move and pick up his sword, quickly killing the other two. Kneeling down beside Merlin, he swept a strand of hair from his eyes and examined the blow to his head; not too deep, but he would be out cold for a few hours at least. Arthur was so occupied with Merlin that he failed to notice the shadow that had crept upon him, and by the time he reached for the sword, he had already been stuck. Now, here he was, chained to a wall, with no idea how Merlin was, or if he was even alive for that matter. And knowing that it was all his fault.

Merlin wiped the last of the tears from his eyes and got to his knees. If he pulled as hard as he could on the chain, he could see out of the window, but he didn't know what use that would be to him. Falling back down, another sob escaped him, and he banged his head against the wall, angry at himself for letting this happen. Since the man had left, Merlin couldn't get Arthur out of his mind. What exactly did he mean by 'you'll find out soon'? Merlin had no idea, but he desperately wanted to find out while he still had a chance.

Once again, the door creaked open, but this time instead of seeing the hooded man, a small child walked in, carrying a tray of what looked like stale bread, and a glass of milk. The child, nervous and wary, carefully walked over to Merlin, concentrating so hard on not spilling any of the milk. When he reached him, the child carefully set the tray on the ground, within Merlin's reach, and stood up straight. 'Who are you?' Merlin asked, gently.

'M-my daddy says I'm not allowed to talk to you..' The child replies in a small voice, backing up towards the door. Merlin eyed him sadly, unsure if he should talk again. He missed the sound of his own voice, though he didn't fancy talking to himself as he didn't know who was watching him. He did not want people to think he was crazy. Almost as soon as the child had appeared, he was gone again, slamming the door behind him and fiddling with the lock. Merlin saw no point in locking the door, he _was _chained to the wall, after all. He could always use his magic to get him out, but he'd rather wait until he had absolutely no other choice.

Arthur swung his head towards the door, trying his hardest to move backwards, but only managing a small shuffle to the right. Peering his head around the door, a small child eyed Arthur with an unsure look on his face. Arthur eyed the boy for a moment, before forcing a smile.

'Hello.' He said, quietly. The child pushed the door open further and took a step inside, carrying another tray of food. He shuffled slowly, keeping his eyes on the glass of milk, as he had before, and then knelt down next to Arthur.

'Who are-' Arthur spoke suddenly, startling the boy and causing him to drop the tray to the floor. Milk splashed across the floor, and across Arthur's arm. The child recoiled, stumbling back towards the door.

'Hey, wait, wait- please!' Arthur cried, desperately wanting to hear another person's voice. But before he could finish talking, the door had already been closed, and Arthur was alone with a plate of bread that was slowly absorbing some of the mile. Arthur crinkled up his nose and pushed the plate away from him, suddenly not hungry.


	5. Chapter 5

It was three days later when the man visited again. His face still covered, his eyes still evil, Merlin couldn't help shivering almost as soon as he had entered the room.

'Still not talking?' he asked

'N-n-no,' Merlin shivered. 'I-I'll talk, just… T-tell me where Arthur is.' Merlin said, staring the man in the eyes. He was determined to get something out of the man, whether it was the truth or not he didn't care. He just wanted something.

'He's alive, unfortunately. But he won't be much longer if you continue to stay silent.' Merlin looked away, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He would not let himself cry in front of this monster. He wouldn't

'What do you want?' he asked.

'Information, child. About the King.'

'Th-the King? What should I know about the King?' Merlin asked, nervously.

The man chuckled.

'Do not lie to me, boy. I know very well that you are the servant of his son. Now, I suggest you tell the truth, or there shall be consequences.'

'The- umm, what do you want… to know?'

'I want to know where to find him. He's been missing for three days, as you very well know.'

'Missing? The King? But-'

'Don't play stupid, boy! Now tell me where he is!' The man yelled, getting closer to Merlin. Merlin flinched.

'I don't know where he is. He must have gone looking f-for Arthur…' Merlin suggested, looking away from the man.

'You expect me to believe that?'

'Ye- It's the truth, I swear.' Merlin said, suddenly feeling nauseous. What if he _didn't _believe him? What would become of Arthur, then?

'P-please, believe me…' Merlin looked at the man with pleading eyes

With a nod, the man turned and left the room.

'We'll soon see about that, my lad.' He yelled back, as the door shut.

'One hundred and seventy three, one hundred and seventy four,' Arthur counted the number of times the water dripped against the stone floor. 'One hundred and seventy five.' His eyes were closed, and he had eventually managed to finish off the milk-soaked bread that had been given to him. He had long since tired of counting the number of cracks on the wall opposite him, and his attention had been drawn towards the corner of the roof, where raindrops had fallen through a small hole and were crashing towards the ground. The sound of the dripping, mixed with his full stomach, were slowly making him tired, and not long after closing his eyes, Arthur drifted of into a dream-filled sleep.

Merlin fell back against the wall, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He looked down at his hands, which had started shaking profusely. Looking up at the door, Merlin took a few shaky breaths before closing his eyes and picturing his bed. His small, hard bed that constantly gave him a bad back. He missed it. He missed Gaius even more, if he was here right now, he would know exactly what to do, thought Merlin, sadly. Gaius always knows what to do. And Gwen, with her sharp mind. She'd tell him to find a way, to get out of these chains no matter what the cost. Opening his eyes again, Merlin looked down at the shackles that bound him, hanging loosely from his too-thin wrist, but not loose enough to allow him to simply slip out of them. With a yell of frustration, Merlin began moving. With his feet against the wall, he spun around so his back was facing the door and he pushed against the wall with his feet. Groaning in frustration when his efforts proved fruitless, Merlin gave one last kick of the wall. Falling to his back, Merlin shut his eyes, and he suddenly found himself lost in the wise words of his lost friend, nothing in the quiet waves of nostalgia.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Scratch. Scratch. Scratch._

The sound was coming from the opposite end of the room.

_Scratch. Scratch. Scratch._

Arthur scanned the floor, from one side of the wall to the other, and saw nothing. Whatever was making the scratching sounds wanted to remain hidden, which Arthur didn't particularly have a problem with. He had never been keen on rats, or any animal that could eat him alive, for that matter. Resting his head against the wall, Arthur shivered violently. The temperature had dropped overnight, and slowly creeping in through the tiny, unreachable window was a silvery trail of frost, shining brightly in the sun's rays. A knock on the door startled him, followed by the sound of the door creaking open once again. Turning his head, Arthur saw two guards rush into the room, carrying with them a length of rope. Kneeling down next to Arthur, a heavy-built, blonde man hurriedly unlocked the shackle around Arthur's wrist and promptly turned, gripping him by the arm and roughly lifting him to his feet.

'Get _off _me!' Arthur exclaimed, trying to shake off the man's grip. His tries failed, and almost as soon as the guards had entered the room, Arthur had been dragged out of it and was on his way the next, bigger room that lay waiting for him.


	6. Chapter 6

Sunlight streamed into the room, lighting it up as if it were any normal room. But of course it wasn't. This room was a prison, and the prisoner was beginning to pray for release. Merlin lay slumped against the cobbled wall, eyes half open. Or were they half shut? Sleep beckoned him into it's sharp claws, threatening to never let go.

Running his tongue around the inside of his mouth, Merlin wondered how long it had been since he'd had a drink. He wondered how long it had been since he had seen Camelot, and Arthur. God, how he missed that idiot.

All of a sudden, the door slammed open, and in walked the man dressed all in black, except this time it was different. This time; his face was not covered, and Merlin recoiled in horror to see the familiar face staring down at him.

'Mordred.' He spat out, hatefully, as Mordred stood in the doorway, grinning at him.

'Bring him in.' Mordred ordered. A guard entered the room, dragging behind him a delusional Arthur.

Arthur was thrown to the floor in front of the hooded man. Curling up into a ball, he looked to his stomach and groaned. Blood was, once again seeping through his tunic, and Arthur stiffly pressed his hand firmly against it, in an attempt to stop the bleeding. As Arthur's vision blurred, a voice ran through the air.

'Get up, sire. You're embarrassing yourself.' Arthur opened his eyes and rolled onto his stomach, managing to lift himself halfway to his knees before he crashed to the ground, in pain. The sound of laughter rang through his head as he slowly drifted out of consciousness.

From the corner of the room, Merlin watched, angry and upset. One of Mordred's men walked over to him and Merlin shuffled backwards.

'Get away from me.' He whispered, and the man knelt down beside him. Pulling a key from his pocket, Merlin watched the man carefully as he unlocked the shackle, letting it fall to the floor.

'Get up, Emrys!' Mordred yelled, grabbing a bow from one of his men.

It took Merlin three tries before he managed to stumble to his feet. His legs just didn't want to work, no matter how much he begged them to. Eventually, though, the feeling slowly started to return, and Merlin managed to stand, leaning against the wall for support. Steadying himself, he looked up and into Mordred's eyes, which had all of a sudden started to glow. In the palm of his hand, a small ball of fire appeared, and Merlin lifted his good hand, prepared to fight.

Mordred beat him to it, and Merlin was soon back on the ground, holding his elbow in agony.

'Come on. Fight me, you pathetic servant!' Mordred taunted, firing another ball of light at Merlin's legs. Merlin rolled out of the way and got to his knees, casting a spell and catapulting Mordred high into the air, only for him to crash into the wall. Scrambling to his feet, Merlin swiped a drop of blood from his nose and coughed. He glanced over to Arthur, his prince. A line of blood was slowly but surely making it's way from under him, and Merlin could feel his chest starting to tighten.

Arthur slowly opened his eyes, wary of the pain that surrounded his every bone. His arms felt heavy, and there was a throbbing pain moving from his chest to his stomach. All around him, he could hear voices. He could hear loud, deafening crashes of thunder and see flasher of blinding light.

Merlin stood up once again and yelled out one last spell, knocking Mordred flying backwards once again. This time, the man did not get up, neither did any of the other men, and Merlin leaned back against the wall, wiping swear and blood from his brow. A movement in the corner of his eye caused him to rush over to Arthur and kneel down beside him.

'Arthur,' he said, impatiently. 'Can you hear me?' Arthur groaned in response, turning his head a little towards the sound of Merlin's voice.

'Okay… okay, can you get up, Arthur?' Arthur mumbled a response, and Merlin gripped his shoulder, turning him onto his back and eyeing the cut on his stomach carefully. Pulling apart the ripped pieces of Arthur's tunic, Merlin let out a puff of breath. It was a deep cut, and Arthur had clearly lost a lot of blood. If Merlin didn't find a way to stop the bleeding soon, Arthur would most likely die; from either infection or blood loss. Closing his eyes, Merlin thought for a moment, weighing the choices he had left. He could search the castle for something to stitch up the wound, or he could put enough pressure on it to stop the bleeding. Opening his eyes again, Merlin sighed. Neither of those things seemed like a possibility at that moment, and Merlin knew that only once choice remained. And with Arthur half-awake, Merlin knew that he had every chance of being found out, but he'd rather risk being found out as a sorcerer than watch Arthur bleeding to death.

Merlin ripped open Arthur's shirt and rubbed his hands together to warm them. Beneath him, Arthur stirred, opening his eyes fully and looking around at the unconscious guards.

'Merlin…' he said, in a croaky voice. Merlin looked down at the Prince, a nervous look on his friend.

'Shhhh, don't talk Arthur,' Merlin replied, holding his hands over the bleeding wound on Arthur's torso. 'Just… relax, okay.'

Merlin focused as hard as he could on Arthur's torso, feeling a warmth moving slowly from his shoulders to his elbows, and then into his hands. From his fingertips, a bright light shone, spreading across Arthur's pale, cold skin. Arthur writhed beneath him, yelling out in pain as the light slowly began to burn him. Shutting his eyes tightly, Merlin held his breath, willing the magic to work faster.

Arthur lay still on the floor, beads of sweat rolling from his forehead to the floor. Merlin sat on his knees on the floor beside him, a stream of tears falling from his eyes as he looked at the now-smooth surface of Arthur's stomach. Arthur knew his secret now, and Merlin had no idea how he would react when he woke up. _If he_ woke up. Merlin had never performed this kind of magic on a person before, and he was starting to worry that it may have cause some damage. The animals he had practiced on had never lost consciousness, but as soon as Arthur had stopped yelling out in pain, he had lost consciousness almost immediately. Now, here he lay, pale and de-hydrated and starving and cold. Arthur Pendragon, Prince of Camelot, was no longer in pain.


	7. Chapter 7

Opening his eyes, Arthur felt a whole lot better. The pain in his stomach had almost completely gone, and as Arthur looked down, he realised that the scar had faded considerably, too. Looking up, he spotted a hunched-up figure in the corner of the room.

'Merlin?' he asked, his voice stronger than it was before. Propping himself up on his elbows, Arthur frowned. Merlin looked over his shoulder.

'Are you alright?' Arthur asked, concerned. Merlin got to his feet and walked over to Arthur, joining him on the floor. Looking around the empty room, Arthur couldn't help but think that he was forgetting something. As Merlin slid to the floor beside him, Arthur recoiled as a shock of energy ran through him.

Merlin looked at Arthur, and them down at his arm. That shock had ran through both of them, Merlin was sure of it, judging by the look on Arthur's face.

'Are_ you_?' Merlin asks, his eyes kept firmly on the ground. Arthur sat up straight and leaned forwards, his stomach cramping slightly. Looking down once again, Arthur raised his eyebrows as he noticed the bright red scorch marks on the floor.

'Wh- uh. What happened?' he asked, touching a hand to his stomach. Merlin glanced up, unsure of what to say.

'You were hurt…'

'Yeah, I remember that part, Merlin,' Arthur stated, glaring at his servant. 'Why am I not now?' Merlin swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, and after a moment he looked up and into the steely glare of his prince.

'Arthur, I-'

'_Tell _me!' Arthur snapped, causing Merlin to flinch.

'I… just, promise you won't be mad,' Merlin asked, in a shaky voice. 'An-and… you can't…'

'_Merlin!' _

'I'm a sorcerer!' Merlin blurted out, before he could change his mind.

Looking up into Arthur's eyes, Merlin saw nothing but hatred and betrayal. Arthur leaned back against the wall and turned his gaze to the window. Merlin, the one person he thought that he could trusted, had been lying to him, and breaking almost every rule that Camelot had. Merlin sat on the floor, feeling hopeless and ever so guilty. He had often imagined telling Arthur about his magic, but not like this. Never Like this.

'Arthu-' Merlin started, the silence washing over him like a shower of acid. At the sound of Merlin's voice, Arthur got to his feet and headed for the door.

Standing up, Merlin rushed over to Arthur and grabbed him by the arm, turning him round.

'You c-can't leave…' he states, tears forming in his eyes.

'_Don't_ touch me.' Arthur says, coldly, before shaking off Merlin's grip and walking out the door.


	8. Chapter 8

Lifting his head off the cold cobbled floor, Merlin peered through the doorway and into the pitch black hall that bathed in the eerie silence that it had so suddenly acquired. Getting to his feet, Merlin wiped his hands on his tunic, and tip-toed towards the doorway, eagerly listening out for a sound, any sound, that would alert him to Arthur's presence. Leaning out into the hall, he held his breath.

When no sound came to him, Merlin crept into the hallway and stood still at the end, peering down the dimly-lit staircase. Several candles flickered below him, sat in metal holders. The flickering of the flames was making Merlin feel queasy, and he almost turned back, but the sound of echoing footsteps made him move forward. Moving forward down the stairs, Merlin took a flame from the wall and held it out in front of him.

'Arthur.' He called out, in a quiet, raspy voice. 'Is that you?'

His chest lurched, and yet the air yielded nothing; his vision blotched over like a blizzard, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the giddiness to pass. All too suddenly, Merlin's legs gave out from under him, and he crumbled to the floor, dropping the torch. Opening his eyes, Merlin watched as it thumped down the stone steps, eventually coming to a halt halfway down. Hanging his head between his knees, Merlin took a few deep breaths, inwardly praying for the nausea to pass.

Arthur sat in the wooden chair, ripped the remains of his tunic from his stone-cold waist and threw it to the ground. Bringing his hands together and setting them on the table, he bowed his head and closed his eyes, wondering what his next move should be. It had crossed his mind at least a dozen times now that he should never had ran off and left Merlin up there, so close to where Mordred last was, and as Arthur pondered the thought of losing Merlin once again, he reluctantly let a tear trickle from his eye. Over these past few years, Merlin had always been there for him, no matter what; Morgana being revealed as his sister, his father dying. The man even told him how to talk to the woman he loved, for crying out loud, and Arthur had just run off. Sitting up, Arthur's hands fell to his lap.

Finally managing to get to his feet, Merlin sighed and gripped the wall, hoping that in some way it would make him less dizzy. Merlin picked up the dimming torch and continued on his way, stopping at the first door he saw. Reaching a hand out, he slowly turns the handle and opens the door.

The creaking of a door rouses Arthur from his thoughts, and as he opens his eyes, a shadow falls over him.

'What took you so long?' Arthur questions, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

Closing the door behind him, Merlin walked towards the figure that sat facing away from him. Carefully setting the torch on the floor, he stands up straight and clears his throat, jumping a little when the man speaks. Looking to the floor, he twiddles his thumbs.

'I… I didn't know you'd be here...' he spits out, nervously lifting his head. 'Why _are _you still here?' At those words, the figure rose and turned, showing his worn face. Taking a few steps forward, the man talks, in a voice that Merlin no longer recognises.

'I was waiting for you, of course.'

Merlin stumbled backwards as, from the corner of the room, an arrow came flying.

**Note: Sorry it's not as good as it could be, I just can't seem to get the right words out. Hopefully, next chapter will be up soon. And it will be a better one, I promise x**


	9. Chapter 9

As his back hit the wall, Merlin looked in shock as a man appeared from the shadows and walked towards him, bow in hand, ready to strike. As the man approached, from the other side of the room, Mordred laughed, delighted that he finally had Emrys in his grips. Gripping his bleeding arm, Mordred limped forwards, until he was almost nose-to-nose with Merlin, and suddenly his face fell.

'Try getting out of this one, Merlin.' He sneered, as his man pointed the arrow at Merlin's temple.

Kicking open the door, Arthur walked into the room, closely followed by Sir Gwaine. As Mordred turned to look, Merlin ducked and swung his leg out to the side, knocking the guard to the floor. Mordred swung back around just as Merlin reached for the bow and, grabbing him by the forearm, he yanked him to his feet and pushed him against the wall, twisting his arm as much as he could.

From the other side of the room, Sir Gwaine watched as Arthur stormed towards the scene, sword raised.

'Get your hands off him.' He said deeply, in a threatening voice, as he dug his sword into Mordred's back.

Merlin panted as the pressure on his arm slowly released, and as he turned, Mordred's eyes lit up, quickly turning a deathly yellow colour. Before Merlin had any time to react, Mordred had spun around and, as Arthur ducked, Gwaine was shot into the air.

Jumping back to a standing position, Arthur raised his sword and plunged it deep into the stomach of the guard that was on his way towards him. As the guard fell to the ground, Merlin looked to Arthur and Arthur looked to Merlin and with a touch nod of his head, Arthur threw his sword to the ground.

As Mordred's hands slowly started to glow, a nervous Merlin raised his own and, in a flash of green and blue, the room was suddenly filled with smoke.

Arthur coughed and swiped away the last of the smoke with his hand. Merlin leaned against the wall, hand pressed firmly to his forehead, eyes fixed on the body that lay on the floor by his feet. Looking up, Merlin's eyes met Arthur's, and for the first time in his life he was at a loss of words.

'Arthur, I- You came back…'

'I never left.' Arthur replied, lifting his sword from the floor and heading over to Gwaine, who lay propped up against the wall.

'Are you alright, my friend?' Arthur asks, kneeling down beside the injured Knight.

'Of course I am,' Gwaine said weakly. 'Just a few bruises, is all.' He said with a smile, as Merlin walked over to join the two. Looking up, Arthur found Merlin staring back at him, a look of remorse in his eyes. Standing up, he cleared his throat.

'Is he dead?' Merlin looked back over his shoulder.

'Most likely. But the- he could just be unconscious.' With a nod of his head, Arthur reached a hand out to Gwaine, who sucked in a breath of air as he was pulled to his feet. Arthur's brow creased, and Gwaine stood up straight, putting on a brave face.

'Fine, see?' he said, taking a few steps forward and looking down at Mordred.

'Now… lets go home.' He said, throwing and arm around Arthur and grinning at Merlin. The three men turned, and slowly, they headed towards the door.


	10. Chapter 10

A grin spread over Mordred's lips as he slowly opened his eyes. Spotting the discarded bow and arrow laying near him on the floor, he rolled onto his stomach and lifted it as he got to his knees. One eye closed, he pulled back the bow and then let it go.

Time seemed to stand still for Merlin, he could hear nothing but the thumping if his heartbeat. The longer he kept his eyes on Arthur's, the worse it became, until finally, he gently touched the Prince's arm.

'Hey,' he said, in a shaky voice. 'I… I am so… sorry for lying to you.' He whispered. As Arthur turned to look at him, a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

What happened next happened so suddenly, Merlin wasn't sure that it happened at all. As Mordred's finger left the trigger, and an arrow shot through the air, Merlin turned his head, seeing Mordred release the arrow that was now speeding towards his heart. Merlin looked, open eyed, as Mordred dropped the Bow to the floor.

Arthur pushed himself away from the wall, head turning in Merlin's direction, begging his legs not to fail him now, and he started to run.

The arrow almost upon him, Merlin squeezed his eyes shut, expecting the blow to come at any moment. But it never did. Time seemed to slow down as a scream suddenly filled the air. Merlin could hear nothing but the sound of his breath; _In, out. In, out. _He hadn't been hit. He felt no pain, he felt nothing at all, and as he opened his eyes, he saw the delighted look on Mordred's face. Looking around at the shocked faces of the others in the room, it took Merlin a mere second before he noticed the body that lay on the floor in front of him. His heart almost stopped beating as he watched a pool of blood slowly spreading across the floor.

'No,' he whispered, stepping forward and falling to his knees. 'God no…' Gripping the man by the shoulder, he turned him over and lifted his head, placing it on his lap. Merlin wiped a strand of blonde hair from the dazzling blue eyes that suddenly seemed so empty and emotionless.

'Arthur…' Merlin said, voice breaking. 'Arthur, I'm so sorry.' He whispered, as a tear rolled from his eye and down his cheek.

'Never be sorry f-for who you are.' Arthur said, as a trickle of blood escaped his lips.

Looking up into Merlin's eyes, Arthur smiled and lifted his hand to wipe away the tear that was rolling down Merlin's cheek. He opened his mouth to talk, but he no longer could. It hurt too much, and anyhow, he liked the silence. As far as he was aware, it was just himself and Merlin, alone in the world. He felt a hand, gently stroking his hair, and he dropped his hand from Merlin's face, all of a sudden too exhausted to lift it.

Merlin gripped Arthur's hand, his eyes filled with tears that turned the world blurry. No thoughts were going through his head, and as a tear rolled from Arthur's cheek, he suddenly went still. The room was filled with the silent tears of knights and maidens alike, as Arthur slowly slipped away.


End file.
